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Up First from NPR

Spirit Airlines Folds, Abortion Pills, Government Debt

Up First from NPR

NPR

Daily News, News

4.659K Ratings

🗓️ 2 May 2026

⏱️ 15 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Spirit Airlines ceased operation overnight, as jet fuel prices are pinching airlines. A panel of federal judges in Louisiana has ended telemedicine access to the abortion pill mifepristone for the entire country. And the federal debt has outgrown the entire U.S. economy. 

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Spirit Airlines ran out of runway last night.

0:05.0

All airlines are being pinched by the high cost of jet fuel,

0:09.0

but Spirit Airlines, the low-cost carrier, had to close up shop.

0:13.0

I'm Aisha Roscoe.

0:15.0

And I'm Scott Simon, and this is up first from NPR News.

0:19.0

The price of jet fuel has nearly doubled since the war in Iran began.

0:25.4

Airlines are raising prices and cutting routes.

0:28.3

Judges in Louisiana ended telemedicine access to the abortion pill.

0:33.2

Their decision applies to the entire country.

0:36.2

And the federal debt has now outgrown the entire U.S. economy.

0:40.6

So stay with us.

0:41.9

We have the news you need to start your weekend. Spirit Airlines, the ultra-low-cost carrier has been struggling for years.

1:04.3

The company ceased operations overnight.

1:07.2

The entire aviation industry faces stiff headwinds because of the soaring cost of jet fuel.

1:14.6

And your transportation correspondent Joel Rose has been following these stories and joins us.

1:19.6

Joel, thanks for being with us.

1:20.8

Hi, Scott. Let's begin with Spirit. Why'd they go out of business?

1:25.2

High fuel costs certainly did not help. I mean, as you said, the whole industry has been dealing with a spike in the price of jet fuel since the beginning of the war in Iran, which has disrupted the supply of crude oil and jet fuel coming out of the Persian Gulf. That's driven up the price of jet fuel worldwide, even in the U.S., which is a net exporter of jet fuel, the price has nearly doubled in the past two months.

1:45.3

That is putting pressure on all airlines, really, but in the case of spirit, problems really ran

1:51.0

much deeper than that.

1:52.3

How so?

1:53.3

Well, the airline has been in trouble for years.

...

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